Valley Tech builds a bridge to students

UPTON - For those students who've been absent for long periods, Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School has a new program to help them ease back into a classroom.

Through flexible scheduling and instructional help, the "bridge" program, made possible through a $180,000 grant from the MetroWest Health Foundation, is designed to ease the transition back to the classroom for students who have had lenghty absences due to mental health or medical problems.

Yvette Whitesell, BVT's director of special education, said the program is a response to a recent trend.

"We'd been seeing an increased number of students who were out for mental health or medical reasons and weren't having success with traditional ways of transitioning back to the classroom," she said. "Across the country, we're seeing kids struggling more with mental health issues - this is just an additional support for them."

Whitesell said those served by the program could have been absent for as few as three days.

"It's for students we think need more support with make-up work and making a successful transition," she said. "Some students who have been out a prolonged period of time might need tutoring in the 'bridge room.'"

That room was designed by counselors to be a transition space in which services could be provided.

"Some may need to be there for a class period or two, and others may need longer," she said.

Blackstone Valley Tech's efforts, Whitesell said, were modeled after a program in Brookline. She said she sees more schools adopting such programs, as they all face the same issue.

"The Brookline program has been given its own grant to help schools implement this throughout the state," she said. "They've been an incredible support for us."

According to Whitesell, several students have already made use of BVT's program in the two weeks since school has resumed. She said they have successfully returned to the classroom.

Superintendent Michael Fitzpatrick said in a statement that the program represented the school's responsible growth practices. The program, he said, was not part of the original budget, but the grant made it possible without seeking additonal funding from district towns.

Mike Gleason can be reached at 508-634-7546 or mgleason@wickedlocal.com. For news throughout the day, follow him on Twitter @MGleason_MDN.